Lifeline, 50 years on. Important in Australia, important in Broken Hill.

Lifeline is an Australia wide 24-hour crisis support service.  It provides access to crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services via telephone 13 11 14, face to face, and through online mediums.

Lifeline's Vision is "An Australia free of suicide".

Lifeline logo from their website

Lifeline was founded 50 years ago in 1963, by the late Reverend Dr. Sir Alan Walker, when he took a call from a distressed man who later took his own life.  Sir Alan was determined not to let isolation and lack of support be the cause of more deaths, so he launched a 24-hour crisis support line (13 11 14).

Today, in 2013, the service answers around 1,400 calls each day, with around 50 calls from people at high risk of suicide.

There are now around 1,000 staff and 11,000 volunteers which operate in over 60 locations across Australia.



The Lifeline Broken Hill branch was established early on in the history of this wonderful organisation, in 1964.

Lifeline Broken Hill serves a population of around 24,000 people spread across 150,000 square kilometres in Far West New South Wales.  Communities serviced include Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee, White Cliffs, Tibooburra, Milparinka and Ivanhoe.  For more information about Lifeline Broken Hill, please see the link here to their website.

Art Scene
The reason I'm talking about Lifeline today is that it's time to start getting an entry ready and put a note in your diary for Lifeline Broken Hill's Annual Art Exhibition which will be held 28 June to 14 July 2013, and the closing date for entries is 21 June.

Entry forms are available at the Lifeline Broken Hill Counselling Centre -
194 Argent Street, Broken Hill NSW 2880.
Telephone (08) 8087 7525.

I went to the opening of this annual event in 2011 and it was a great night with some fantastic art on display and the art is available to purchase.

It is an extremely worthy cause.  You can donate to Lifeline from their website.

Once again, please note you can call Lifeline for crisis support 24/7 on 13 11 14.

Cheers, Jane D